For Homeless and Disadvantaged People

8 Tooting Bec Gardens, London SW16 1RB

Call: 0208 696 0943

“I enjoy being in the centre and talking to the clients. It has taught me to be more confident in communicating with other people.” Spires Trainee

Trainee Programme

The Spires Trainee Programme provides opportunities for men and women to be fully trained as project workers in the social care/homelessness field.

Usually recruited from our volunteers or directly from our accredited volunteer training courses, our trainee programme is an opportunity for at least two individuals each year to join the Spires staff team on a paid placement and be fully trained as a project worker in the social care field. Our trainees come from a variety of backgrounds including ex-homeless clients, those in recovery from drug/alcohol addiction, survivors of domestic violence or former street-based sex workers.

Trainees are managed and supervised by an experienced project worker and each trainee is given the opportunity to apply all aspects of their learning within their role; whether that may be carrying out client assessments, managing a supervised caseload or taking responsibility for a variety of day to day tasks within the centre. Trainees also have the opportunity to visit other similar organisations and attend appropriate external training courses and conferences to extend their learning and skill set. Female trainees also have the opportunity to participate in Spires Streetlink outreach work and the Women’s Space.

Outcomes for our trainees involved in the programme include:

Increased self-confidence

Increased access to further training and professional networks and forums

Increased work skills

Improved employability

Our trainee programme has been a great success with many of our former trainees having found either further employment as key workers at Spires or at other voluntary organisations, or progressing on to further training and development.